Gaelic Athletic Association

This article needs to be updated. In particular: 2010 are the latest revenue/profit figures available (in the lead paragraph)?. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2017)

Since its foundation in the late 19th century, the association has grown to become a major influence in Irish sporting and cultural life with considerable reach into communities throughout Ireland and among the Irish diaspora.[10]

On the 1 November 1884, a group of Irishmen gathered in the Hayes' Hotel billiard room to formulate a plan and establish an organisation to foster and preserve Ireland's unique games and athletic pastimes. And so, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was founded, the architects and founding members were Michael Cusack of County Clare, Maurice Davin, Joseph K. Bracken, Thomas St George McCarthy, a District Inspector in the Royal Irish Constabulary, P. J. Ryan of Tipperary, John Wise-Power, and John McKay.[11] Maurice Davin was elected President, Cusack, Wyse-Power and McKay were elected Secretaries and it was agreed that Archbishop Croke, Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt would be asked to become Patrons.

Up to the twentieth century most of the members were farm labourers, small farmers, barmen or shop assistants[citation needed]. But from 1900 onwards a new type of person – those who were now being influenced by the Gaelic League (1893) — joined the movement, they tended to be clerks, school teachers or civil servants. In 1922 it passed over the job of promoting athletics to the National Athletic and Cycling Association.[12]

While some units of the association outside Ireland participate in Irish competitions, the association does not hold internationals played according to the rules of either Gaelic football or hurling. Compromise rules have been reached with two "related sports".

Hurlers play an annual fixture against a national shinty team from Scotland.

International Rules Football matches have taken place between an Irish national team drawn from the ranks of Gaelic footballers, against an Australian national team drawn from the Australian Football League. The venue alternates between Ireland and Australia; in December 2006, the International series between Australia and Ireland was called off due to excessive violence in the matches,[13] but resumed in October 2008 when Ireland won a two test series in Australia.[14] Recently, the Irish welcomed the All Australian team at the headquarters of the GAA (Croke park) on 21 November 2015, it was single one-off test match, which led the Irish to reclaim the Cormac McAnallen cup by a score of 56-52.

The association has had a long history of promoting Irish culture.[15] Through a division of the association known as Scór (Irish for "score"), the association promotes Irish cultural activities, running competitions in music, singing, dancing and storytelling.

The Association shall actively support the Irish language, traditional Irish dancing, music, song, and other aspects of Irish culture. It shall foster an awareness and love of the national ideals in the people of Ireland, and assist in promoting a community spirit through its clubs.[16]

The group was formally founded in 1969, and is promoted through various Association clubs throughout Ireland (as well as some clubs outside Ireland).

The association has many stadiums scattered throughout Ireland and beyond, every county, and nearly all clubs, have grounds on which to play their home games, with varying capacities and utilities.

The hierarchical structure of the GAA is applied to the use of grounds. Clubs play at their own grounds for the early rounds of the club championship, while the latter rounds from quarter-finals to finals are usually held at a county ground, i.e. the ground where inter-county games take place or where the county board is based.

The provincial championship finals are usually played at the same venue every year. However, there have been exceptions, such as in Ulster, where in 2004 and 2005 the Ulster Football Finals were played in Croke Park, as the anticipated attendance was likely to far exceed the capacity of the traditional venue of St Tiernach's Park, Clones.

Croke Park is the association's flagship venue and is known colloquially as Croker or Headquarters, since the venue doubles as the association's base. With a capacity of 82,300, it ranks among the top five stadiums in Europe by capacity, having undergone extensive renovations for most of the 1990s and early 21st century, every September, Croke Park hosts the All-Ireland inter-county Hurling and Football Finals as the conclusion to the summer championships. Croke Park holds the All-Ireland club football and hurling finals on every St. Patrick's Day. Croke Park is named after the Archbishop Thomas Croke, who was elected as a patron of the GAA during the formation of the GAA in 1884.

Research by former Fermanagh county footballer Niall Cunningham led to the publication in 2016 by his website, gaapitchlocator.net, of a map of 1,748 GAA grounds in Ireland, ranging from 24 grounds in his own county to 171 in Cork.[17][18]

Nationalism and Protestant and unionist alienation in Northern Ireland[edit]

The association has, since its inception, been closely associated with Irish nationalism,[19][20] and this has continued to the present, particularly in relation to Northern Ireland,[21] where the sports are played almost exclusively by members of the mainly Catholic nationalist community, and the Protestant unionist population largely considers itself excluded by the political ethos seen as associated with the GAA.[22][23] According to one sports historian, the GAA "is arguably the most striking example of politics shaping sport in modern history".[24] Another claimed that, upon its foundation, the GAA "relatively quickly succeeded in defining for itself and the games it controlled an identity that interwove the threads of nationalism, Catholicism and rurality",[25] during the Troubles, the GAA's promotion of the broad republicanism and nationalism secured its support amongst the Catholic and nationalist community in Northern Ireland, but encouraged opposition within the unionist community; it also persistently failed to recruit Protestants into its ranks.[22]

Suspected associations between GAA members and republicans are also said to have deepened mistrust.[32][33] Two incidents of hunger strike commemorations on GAA grounds drew criticism from unionists, even though these incidents violated the GAA's rules.[34][35][36][37] In response to one such incident, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a motion calling on the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to ensure that no sports club, which facilitates a commemoration or glorification of terrorism, receives financial support through his Department, either directly or indirectly.[38] Other critics point out that the "parish rule" can appear to align the GAA with the Roman Catholic Church and others point to protectionist rules such as Rule 42 which prohibits competing, chiefly British, sports (referred to by some as "garrison games"[39][40][41] or foreign sports) from GAA grounds. As a result, the GAA became a target for loyalist paramilitaries during the Troubles when a number of GAA supporters were killed and clubhouses damaged,[42][43] as the profile of Gaelic football has been raised in Ulster so too has there been an increase in the number of sectarian attacks on Gaelic clubs in Northern Ireland.[44]

Rule 42 (Rule 5.1 in the 2009 rulebook)[45] prohibits the use of GAA property for games with interests in conflict with the interests of the GAA referred to by some as "garrison games"[39][40][41] or foreign sports. Current rules state that GAA property may only be used for the purpose or in connection with the playing of games controlled by the association. Sports not considered 'in conflict' with the GAA have been permitted.

On 16 April 2005 the GAA's congress voted to temporarily relax Rule 42 and allow international soccer and rugby to be played in the stadium while Lansdowne Road Football Ground was closed for redevelopment,[46] the first soccer and rugby union games permitted in Croke Park took place in early 2007, the first such fixture being Ireland's home match in the Six Nations Rugby Union Championship against France.

In addition to the opening of Croke Park to competing sports, local GAA units have sought to rent their facilities out to other sports organisations for financial reasons in violation of Rule 42,[47][48] the continued existence of Rule 42 has proven to be controversial since the management of Croke Park has been allowed to earn revenue by renting the facility out to competing sports organisations, but local GAA units which own smaller facilities cannot.[47][49] It is also said that it is questionable as to whether or not such rental deals would actually be damaging to the GAA's interests.[47]

Clubs, which are the basic unit of administration in the GAA, may have their catchment areas defined by the local Roman Catholic parish boundaries.[50][51][52][53] A parish is defined as being, subject to county boundaries, "the district under the jurisdiction of a Parish Priest or Administrator." The purpose of the rule is to ensure that local teams are represented by local players, and to prevent players flocking to a more successful club outside of the local area. The rule was not part of the GAA's original rules and today it is applied in some counties and not in others.[54]

The GAA has had some notable rules in the past which have since been abolished.

Rule 21, instituted in 1897 when it was suspected that Royal Irish Constabulary spies were trying to infiltrate the organization, prohibited members of the British forces from membership of the GAA, and prevented GAA members from attending social events with such people.[55] Support for the ban remained throughout The Troubles, particularly in Northern Ireland where GAA members often felt targeted for harassment and abuse by the RUC and British Army.[56] Nonetheless, at a special congress convened in November 2001 the GAA voted by an overwhelming majority to change the rule and allow members of British security forces to play hurling and football.[57][58]

Rule 27, sometimes referred to as The Ban, banned GAA members from taking part in or watching non Gaelic games. Punishment for violating this rule was expulsion for the organisation and it remained in place from 1901 until 1971, during that time people such as Douglas Hyde, GAA patron and then President of Ireland, was expelled for attending a soccer international.[59] In order to circumvent the ban members such as Moss Keane would commonly adopt a false name,[60] the last person to be suspended from the GAA for violating Rule 27 was Liam Madden, an architect and member of Longford GAA in 1969 [61]

The association points out the role of members of minority religions in the membership throughout its history, for example, the Protestant Jack Boothman was president of the organisation from 1993 to 1997, while Sam Maguire was a Church of Ireland member. Nonetheless, to address concerns of unionists, the association's Ulster Council has embarked on a number of initiatives aimed at making the association and Gaelic games more accessible to northern Protestants; in November 2008, the council launched a Community Development Unit, which is responsible for "Diversity and Community Outreach initiatives".[62] The Cúchulainn Initiative is a cross-community program aimed at establishing teams consisting of Catholic and Protestant schoolchildren with no prior playing experience.[63] Cross-community teams such as the Belfast Cuchulainn under-16 hurling team have been established and gone on to compete at the Continental Youth Championship in the USA.[63] Similar hurling and Gaelic football teams have since emerged in Armagh, Fermanagh, Limavady.[64]Professor David Hassan from the University of Ulster has written quite widely on the cross community work of the association and other sporting bodies in Ulster, and highlighted the positive work being done in this field.

The 'Game of three-halves' cross-community coaching initiative was established in predominantly Protestant east Belfast in 2006. Organised through Knock Presbyterian Church, this scheme brings Association coaches to work alongside their soccer and rugby counterparts to involve primary school children at summer coaching camps,[65][66] the Ulster Council is also establishing cross-community football and hurling teams in schools and is developing links with the Ulster-Scots Agency and the Church of Ireland.[66] The Council has also undertaken a series of meetings with political parties and community groups who would have traditionally have had no involvement in the association.[66]

In January 2011, the then President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, announced the launch of an island-wide project called the "GAA Social Initiative", this aims to address the problem of isolation in rural areas where older people have limited engagement with the community.[67] The initiative was later expanded by teaming up with the Irish Farmers Association to integrate that organisation's volunteers into the initiative.[68]

To address concerns about player burnout, the association adopted a rule in 2007 that prohibited collective training for inter-county players for a period of two months every winter,[69] this has proven to be controversial in that it is difficult to enforce, and in the drive to stay competitive, managers have found ways to get around it, such as organising informal 'athletic clubs' and other activities that they can use to work on the physical fitness of players without overtly appearing to be training specifically at Gaelic games.[70]

^"The GAA is perceived by the Unionist community as a sectarian organisation ...", Sugden, J. (1995) "Sport, Community Relations and Community Conflict in Northern Ireland", p.203, in Seamus Dunn (ed) Facets of the Conflict in Northern Ireland. London: McMillan Press Ltd. Cited in Northern Ireland Assembly Research Paper 26/01 (2001), Sectarianism and Sport in Northern Ireland. Available at http://archive.niassembly.gov.uk/research_papers/research/2601.pdf. Retrieved 18-09-2009.

^"... the GAA's great strength is that it is by and large based on the parish unit, as players go out to represent their families, their parish and their club.", Dungarvan Observer[permanent dead link]

^"And they're games that were incredibly well suited to rural Ireland at that time, because the GAA's master stroke was basing the organisation of the games around the local parishes.", Mike Cronin, speaking on "Irish Sport & Nationalism", The Sports Factor, Radio National [Australia], 19/01/01. Available hereArchived 24 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine..

1.
Thurles
–
Thurles is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the parish of same name in the barony of Eliogarty. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly is located in the town, Thurles is located in mid-County Tipperary and is surrounded by the Silvermine Mountains and the Slieveardagh Hills. The town itself is built on a crossing of the River Suir, the M8 motorway connects Thurles to Cork and Dublin via the N75 and N62 roads. The N62 also connects Thurles to the centre of Ireland via Templemore, the R498 links Thurles to Nenagh. Thurles railway station opened on 13 March 1848, the ancient territory of Éile obtained its name from pre-historic inhabitants called the Eli, about whom little is known beyond what may be gathered from legends and traditions. The extent of Éile varied throughout the centuries with the rise, before the 5th century A. D. the details of its history which can be gleaned from surviving records and literature are exceedingly meagre, obscure and confusing. During this century however Éile appears to have reached its greatest extent, the southern part of this territory embraced the baronies of Eliogarty and Ikerrin, a great part of Middle Third, the territory of Ileagh and a portion of the barony of Kilnamanagh Upper. The OFogartys gave their name to the town, in Irish, Durlas Éile means Strong Fort of Éile, or more correctly Durlas Éile Uí Fhogartaigh. The clan dominated the regions of Templemore and the Devils Bit stretching as far as the Tipperary/Kilkenny border. Towards the end of the century, the power of the ODonoghue clan began to wane and by the early part of the thirteenth century. It is to the Butlers that Thurles owes much of its early development and their architectural legacy may be seen today with two of the original family fortresses still standing. Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler was the ancestor of the Irish branch of the Butler dynasty and he was also granted a large section of the northeastern part of the kingdom of Limerick. Later in 1328, his descendant, James Butler, was created Earl of Ormond by King Edward III of England, Thurles was originally an agricultural market town. It is now a town having chain stores like Dunnes Stores, Heatons, Aldi, Boots UK and Holland. Thurles Shopping centre was extended and plans to open a new a Tesco store to replace the current store in Liberty Square have also been announced. Stakelums Hardware, which moved to the Nenagh road, is one of the biggest family owned business in the town. McKevitts Costcutter is another family business that operates two supermarkets in the town

2.
Ireland
–
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, in 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland, the islands geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild, thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, there are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland. The Irish climate is moderate and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, however, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant, the earliest evidence of human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC. Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century CE, the island was Christianised from the 5th century onward. Following the Norman invasion in the 12th century, England claimed sovereignty over Ireland, however, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest, which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, with the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s and this subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973 the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community while the United Kingdom, Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, an indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music. The culture of the island shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing. The name Ireland derives from Old Irish Eriu and this in turn derives from Proto-Celtic *Iveriu, which is also the source of Latin Hibernia. Iveriu derives from a root meaning fat, prosperous, during the last glacial period, and up until about 9000 years ago, most of Ireland was covered with ice, most of the time

3.
Gaelic games
–
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Gaelic football and hurling are the two main games, other games organised by the GAA include Gaelic handball and rounders. Womens versions of hurling and football are played, camogie, organised by the Camogie Association of Ireland. While womens versions are not organised by the GAA, they are associated with it. Today, Gaelic games are the most popular games in Ireland in terms of supporter attendances at senior games, despite an economic downturn, attendances in 2009 were up 11% on 2008. Gaelic football is played by teams of 15 on a grass pitch with H-shaped goals at each end. The primary object is to score by driving the ball through the goals, which is known as a goal, or by kicking the ball over the bar, the team with the highest point score at the end of the match wins. The female version of the game is known as ladies Gaelic football and is similar to the game with a few minor rule changes. Hurling is a stick and ball game played by teams of 15 on a grass pitch with H-shaped goals at each end. The primary object is to score by driving the ball through the goals or putting the ball over the bar, three points is the equivalent of a goal. The team with the highest score at the end of the match wins and it is over three thousand years old, and is said to be the worlds fastest field game, combining skills from lacrosse, field hockey, and baseball in a hard-hitting, highly skilled game. The female version of the game is known as camogie and is similar to hurling with a few minor rule changes. Gaelic handball is a game in two players use their hands to return a ball against a wall. The game is similar to American handball, there are three codes of handball, 60x30, 40x20 and One Wall. One Wall handball is the most popular version of handball with it being played in over 30 countries. It is hoped that this version of handball will soon become an Olympic sport, the sport of handball is governed by GAA Handball in Ireland. Rounders is a bat and ball game which is played in Ireland, Rounders is the least popular of the GAA Gaelic games and is organised by a subdivision of the GAA known as the Rounders Council of Ireland. Other Gaelic games such as Gaelic athletics have nearly or completely died out, when founded the GAA organised a number of Gaelic athletics competitions but passed the responsibility to the National Athletic and Cycling Association in 1922

4.
Irish culture
–
The culture of Ireland includes customs and traditions, language, music, art, literature, folklore, cuisine and sports associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its history, Irelands culture has been primarily Gaelic. It has also influenced by Anglo-Norman, English and Scottish culture. The Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland in the 12th century, while the 16th/17th century conquest, today, there are notable cultural differences between those of Catholic and Protestant background, and between travellers and the settled population. Due to large-scale emigration from Ireland, Irish culture has a reach and festivals such as Saint Patricks Day. Irish culture has to some degree been inherited and modified by the Irish diaspora, in historic times, texts such as the Táin Bó Cúailinge show a society in which cattle represented a primary source of wealth and status. Little of this had changed by the time of the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, giraldus Cambrensis portrayed a Gaelic society in which cattle farming and transhumance was the norm. The Normans replaced traditional clan land management with the system of land tenure. This led to the imposition of the village, parish and county over the system of townlands. In general, a parish was a civil and religious unit with a manor, a village, each parish incorporated one or more existing townlands into its boundaries. With the gradual extension of English feudalism over the island, the Irish county structure came into existence and was completed in 1610 and these structures are still of vital importance in the daily life of Irish communities. Apart from the significance of the parish, most rural postal addresses consist of house. This situation continued up to the end of the 19th century, in this process of reform, the former tenants and labourers became land owners, with the great estates being broken up into small- and medium-sized farms and smallholdings. The process continued well into the 20th century with the work of the Irish Land Commission and this contrasted with Britain, where many of the big estates were left intact. One consequence of this is the widely recognised cultural phenomenon of land hunger amongst the new class of Irish farmer. In general, this means that families will do almost anything to retain land ownership within the family unit. The majority of the Irish calendar today still reflects the old pagan customs, christmas in Ireland has several local traditions, some in no way connected with Christianity. On 26 December, there is a custom of Wrenboys who call door to door with an arrangement of assorted material to represent a dead wren caught in the furze, the festival is in remembrance to Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland

5.
Irish language
–
Irish, also referred to as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people. Irish enjoys constitutional status as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland and it is also among the official languages of the European Union. The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island of Ireland and it has the oldest vernacular literature in Western Europe. The fate of the language was influenced by the power of the English state in Ireland. Elizabethan officials viewed the use of Irish unfavourably, as being a threat to all things English in Ireland and its decline began under English rule in the 17th century. In the latter part of the 19th century, there was a decrease in the number of speakers. Irish-speaking areas were hit especially hard, by the end of British rule, the language was spoken by less than 15% of the national population. Since then, Irish speakers have been in the minority, efforts have been made by the state, individuals and organisations to preserve, promote and revive the language, but with mixed results. Around the turn of the 21st century, estimates of native speakers ranged from 20,000 to 80,000 people. In the 2011 Census, these numbers had increased to 94,000 and 1.3 million, there are several thousand Irish speakers in Northern Ireland. It has been estimated that the active Irish-language scene probably comprises 5 to 10 per cent of Irelands population, there has been a significant increase in the number of urban Irish speakers, particularly in Dublin. In Gaeltacht areas, however, there has been a decline of the use of Irish. Údarás na Gaeltachta predicted that, by 2025, Irish will no longer be the language in any of the designated Gaeltacht areas. Survey data suggest that most Irish people think highly of Irish as a marker of identity. It has also argued that newer urban groups of Irish speakers are a disruptive force in this respect. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil the name of the language is Gaeilge, before the spelling reform of 1948, this form was spelled Gaedhilge, originally this was the genitive of Gaedhealg, the form used in Classical Irish. Older spellings of this include Gaoidhealg in Classical Irish and Goídelc in Old Irish, the modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent dh in the middle of Gaedhilge, whereas Goidelic languages, used to refer to the language family including Irish, comes from Old Irish

6.
Croke Park
–
Croke Park is a GAA stadium located in Dublin, Ireland. Named in honour of Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is often called Croker by some GAA fans and it serves both as the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Since 1884 the site has been used primarily by the GAA to host Gaelic games, most notably the annual All-Ireland finals in football and hurling. Both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2003 Special Olympics, during the construction of the Aviva Stadium, Croke Park hosted games played by the Ireland national rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland national football team. The area now known as Croke Park was owned in the 1880s by Maurice Butterly and known as the City and Suburban Racecourse, from 1890 it was also used by the Bohemian Football Club. In 1901 Jones Road hosted the IFA Cup football final when Cliftonville defeated Freebooters, recognising the potential of the Jones Road sports ground a journalist and GAA member, Frank Dineen, borrowed much of the £3,250 asking price and bought the ground in 1908. In 1913 the GAA came into ownership of the plot when they purchased it from Dineen for £3,500. The ground was then renamed Croke Park in honour of Archbishop Thomas Croke, in 1913, Croke Park had only two stands on what is now known as the Hogan stand side and grassy banks all round. In 1917, a hill was constructed on the railway end of Croke Park to afford patrons a better view of the pitch. This terrace was known as Hill 16 as it was built from the ruins of the 1916 Easter Rising, in the 1920s, the GAA set out to create a high capacity stadium at Croke Park. Following the Hogan Stand, the Cusack Stand, named after Michael Cusack from Clare, was built in 1927,1936 saw the first double-deck Cusack Stand open with 5,000 seats, and concrete terracing being constructed on Hill 16. In 1952 the Nally Stand was built in memorial of Pat Nally, seven years later, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the GAA, the first cantilevered New Hogan Stand was opened. The highest attendance recorded at an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was 90,556 for Offaly v Down in 1961. Since the introduction of seating to the Cusack stand in 1966, during the Irish War of Independence on 21 November 1920 Croke Park was the scene of a massacre by the Royal Irish Constabulary. The Police, supported by the British Auxiliary Division entered the ground, the dead included 13 spectators and Tipperary player, Michael Hogan. Posthumously, the Hogan stand built in 1924 was named in his honour, in 1984 the organisation decided to investigate ways to increase the capacity of the old stadium. The design for an 80,000 capacity stadium was completed in 1991, Gaelic sports have special requirements as they take place on a large field. A specific requirement was to ensure the spectators were not too far from the field of play and this resulted in the three-tier design from which viewing games is possible, the main concourse, a premium level incorporating hospitality facilities and an upper concourse

7.
Hurling
–
Hurling, is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic and Irish origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The game has prehistoric origins, and has played for 3,000 years. One of Irelands native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of players, there is a similar game for women called camogie. It shares a common Gaelic root with the sport of shinty, the sliotar can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. It can be kicked, or slapped with a hand for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than four steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick, no protective padding is worn by players. A plastic protective helmet with a faceguard is mandatory for all age groups, including senior level, the game has been described as a bastion of humility, with player names absent from jerseys and a players number decided by his position on the field. Hurling is played throughout the world, and is popular among members of the Irish diaspora in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, in many parts of Ireland, however, hurling is a fixture of life. It has featured regularly in art such as film, music. A team comprises 15 players, or hurlers, the hurley is generally 24 to 36 inches in length. The ball, known as a sliotar, has a cork centre, the goalkeepers hurley usually has a bas twice the size of other players hurleys to provide some advantage against the fast moving sliotar. A good strike with a hurley can propel the ball over 150 km/h in speed and 110 metres in distance, a ball hit over the bar is worth one point. A ball that is hit under the bar is called a goal and is three points. As of 2010, all players must wear a helmet, a hurling pitch is similar in some respects to a rugby pitch but larger. The grass pitch is rectangular, stretching 130–145 metres long and 80–90 m wide. There are H-shaped goalposts at each end, formed by two posts, which are usually 6–7 metres high, set 6.5 m apart, a net extending behind the goal is attached to the crossbar and lower goal posts. The same pitch is used for Gaelic football, the GAA, lines are marked at distances of 14 yards,21 yards and 65 yards from each end-line. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used by youth teams, teams consist of fifteen players, a goalkeeper, three full backs, three half backs, two midfielders, three half forwards and three full forwards

8.
Camogie
–
Camogie is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women, it is almost identical to the game of hurling played by men. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide and it is organised by the Dublin-based Camogie Association or An Cumann Camógaíochta. The game consists of two 30 minute halves, matches are contested by two teams of 15 a side, using a field 130m to 145m long and 80m to 90m wide. H-shaped goals are used, a goal is equal to three points and a point is equal to one point. The annual All Ireland Camogie Championship has an attendance of 33,154 while average attendances in recent years are in the region of 15,000 to 18,000. The final is televised live, with a TV audience of over 300,000 being claimed, the rules are almost identical to hurling, with a few exceptions. Goalkeepers wear the colours as outfield players. This is because no special rules apply to the goalkeeper and so there is no need for officials to differentiate between goalkeeper and outfielders, a camogie player can handpass a score Camogie games last 60 minutes, two 30-minute halves. Ties are resolved by multiple 2×10-minute sudden death extra time periods, in these, dropping the camogie stick to handpass the ball is permitted. A smaller sliotar is used in camogie – commonly known as a size 4 sliotar – whereas hurlers play with a size 5 sliotar. If a defending player hits the sliotar wide, a 45-metre puck is awarded to the opposition After a score, the metal band on the camogie stick must be covered with tape. Two points are awarded for a direct from a sideline cut. Camogie players must wear skirts or skorts rather than shorts, experimental rules were drawn up in 1903 for a female stick-and-ball game by Máire Ní Chinnéide, Seán Ó Ceallaigh, Tadhg Ó Donnchadha and Séamus Ó Braonáin. The Official Launch of Camogie took place with the first public match between Craobh an Chéitinnigh and Cúchulainns on 17 July at a Feis in Navan, the sports governing body, the Camogie Association or An Cumann Camógaíochta was founded in 1905 and re-constituted in 1911,1923 and 1939. Until June 2010 it was known as Cumann Camógaíochta na nGael, thus, although camogie was founded by women, and independently run, there was, from the outset, a small yet powerful male presence within its administrative ranks. Of all the cultural nationalist organisations for adults that emerged during the fin de siècle, under Séamus Ó Braonáins original 1903 camogie rules both the match and the field were shorter than their hurling equivalents. Matches were 40 minutes, increased to 50 minutes in 1934, in 1999 camogie moved to the GAA field-size and 15-a-side, adopting the standard GAA butterfly formation. The name was invented by Tadhg Ua Donnchadha at meetings in 1903 in advance of the first matches in 1904, men play using a curved stick called in Irish a camán

9.
Gaelic football
–
Gaelic football, commonly referred to as football or Gaelic, is an Irish team sport. It is played two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kicking or punching the ball into the teams goals or between two upright posts above the goals and over a crossbar 2.5 metres above the ground. Players advance the football, a leather ball, up the field with a combination of carrying, bouncing, kicking, hand-passing. In the game, two types of scores are possible, points and goals, a point is awarded for kicking or hand-passing the ball over the crossbar, signalled by the umpire raising a white flag. A goal is awarded for kicking the ball under the crossbar into the net, positions in Gaelic football are similar to that in other football codes, and comprise one goalkeeper, six backs, two midfielders, and six forwards, with a variable number of substitutes. Gaelic football is one of four sports controlled by the Gaelic Athletic Association, along with hurling and camogie, Gaelic football is one of the few remaining strictly amateur sports in the world, with players, coaches, and managers prohibited from receiving any form of payment. Gaelic football is played on the island of Ireland, although units of the Association exist in other areas such as Great Britain, North America. Outside Ireland, football is played among members of the Irish diaspora. Gaelic Park in New York City is the largest purpose-built Gaelic sports venue outside Ireland, the All-Ireland Senior Championship is considered the most prestigious event in Gaelic football. Under the auspices of the GAA, Gaelic football is a sport, however. Gaelic football was first codified in 1887, although it has purported links to varieties of football played in Ireland. Consequently, the name caid is used by people to refer to present day Gaelic football. Dublin is still known as the football field, the Statute of Galway of 1527 allowed the playing of foot balle and archery but banned hokie—the hurling of a little ball with sticks or staves as well as other sports. By the 17th century, the situation had changed considerably, the games had grown in popularity and were widely played. This was due to the patronage of the gentry, now instead of opposing the games it was the gentry and the ruling class who were serving as patrons of the games. Games were organised between landlords with each team comprising 20 or more tenants, wagers were commonplace with purses of up to 100 guineas. The earliest record of a precursor to the modern game date from a match in County Meath in 1670

10.
Gaelic handball
–
The sport is similar to American handball, Basque pelota, Pêl-Law, racquetball and squash. It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association, in 2009, Irish Handball was rebranded as GAA Handball. Handball is played in a court, or alley, originally, an alley measuring 60 feet by 30 feet was used with a front wall of 30 feet, off which the ball must be struck. A smaller alley was also introduced, measuring 40 feet by 20 feet with a front wall 20 ft high, the first alley of this size was built in Ireland in 1969. This smaller size is now the standard in the version of the game. The objective of a game is to score a set total of points before your opponent does, points are only scored by the person serving the ball. In other words, if a player wins a rally but did not serve at the start of that rally they only win the right to serve, and thus the chance to score after a subsequent rally. The serving player has two opportunities to hit the ball, from the area, off the front wall. Players take turns at hitting the ball off the front wall before the ball twice on the floor of the court following their opponents previous shot. Most handball games take place in a court but there are also three-walled. Handball-like games have originated in places at different times. Hieroglyphs in the temple of Osiris in Egypt portray priests taking part in a very similar to handball. Mesoamerican civilisations in South and Central America had a form of handball-like game, recent archaeological finds in the Callan and Mooncoin areas of Kilkenny indicate that a game similar to handball was played. In Ireland, the earliest written record of a ball game is contained in the town statutes of Galway in 1527. The first depiction of an Irish form of handball does not appear till 1785, on the west coast of Ireland, Galway had many trading links with Spain, especially the Basque regions, where the similar game of pelota is played. All you have to do is hit the ball with or without gloves, both Scottish and Irish immigrants brought the game to many countries in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is still played in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, Africa, the G. A. A. wrote the first rules for the modern game of handball. Handball was included in the G. A. A, charter of 1884 as one of the sports to be promoted by the new Association

11.
Rounders
–
Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a rounded end wooden, the players score by running around the four bases on the field. Played in England since Tudor times, it is referenced in 1744 in the childrens book A Little Pretty Pocket-Book where it was called base-ball, the game is popular among British and Irish school children. Gameplay centres on a number of innings, in which teams alternate at batting and fielding, a maximum of nine players are allowed to field at any time. Points are scored by the team when one of their players completes a circuit past four bases without being put out. The game of rounders has been played in England since Tudor times, the following year, the book was published in Boston, Massachusetts. The first nationally formalised rules were drawn up by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland in 1884, the game is still regulated in Ireland by the GAA, through the GAA Rounders National Council. In Great Britain it is regulated by Rounders England, which was formed in 1943, while the two associations are distinct, they share similar elements of game play and culture. Competitions are held between teams from both traditions, with games alternating between codes and one version being played in the morning and the other in the afternoon, after the rules of rounders were formalised in Ireland, associations were established in Liverpool and Scotland in 1889. Rounders is linked to British baseball, which is played in Liverpool, Cardiff. Although rounders is assumed to be older than baseball, literary references to early forms of base-ball in England pre-date use of the term rounders, the game is now played up to international level. While Rounders England and GAA codes differ, they share much in common, the bowler, or feeder, bowls the ball with an underarm pendulum action to the batter. According to Rounders England rules, the ball is deemed a good if it passes within reach on the striking side between the batters knees and the top of the head. Otherwise, it is called a no-ball or bad ball, the ball is also regarded as bad if it is thrown into the batters body or wide of the batting box. A batter may try to hit a bad ball but is not required to do so, a player is not out if a no-ball is caught and cannot be called out on first base. When a batter leaves the post, each runner on a base may run to the next, a post runner cannot be declared out when standing at a base. The batter must keep in contact with the base to avoid being declared out, a rounder is scored if one of the batting team completes a circuit without being out. In the United Kingdom, the rules of rounders are regulated by Rounders England, games played under these rules use smaller bats and balls and are played on a smaller pitch compared to GAA games

12.
Irish music
–
Irish Music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music and it has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st century, despite globalising cultural forces. It has occasionally been fused with rock and roll, punk and rock, some of these fusion artists have attained mainstream success, at home and abroad. It is still a vibrant genre with many composers and ensembles writing and performing art music in the classical tradition. On a smaller scale, Ireland has also produced many musicians of note. 1011, Connmhach Ua Tomhrair, priest and chief singer of Cluain-mic-Nois,1168, Amhlaeibh Mac Innaighneorach, chief ollamh of Ireland in harp-playing, died. 1269, Aed Ó Finn, master of music and minstrelsy,1329, Maol Ruanaidh Cam Ó Cearbhaill, tiompanist, murdered during the Braganstown Massacre in County Louth. 1330, Mael Sechlainn Mac Carmaic, an entertainer, died. 1343, Donnchad Clereach Ó Maol Braonáin, a canon of Elphin, was killed by an arrow. 1357, Donn Shléibhe Mac Cerbaill, an accomplished musician,1360, Gilla na Naem Ó Conmaigh, music ollamh of Thomond. Magraith Ó Fionnachta, Chief Musician and Tiompanist to the Síol Muireadaigh,1364, Bran Ó Brain, a skilful tympanist. 1369, John Mac Egan, and Gilbert Ó Bardan, two accomplished young harpers of Conmaicne, died,1469, Ruaidrí mac Donnchad Ó Dálaigh, the most musical-handed harpist in all Ireland. 1490, Diarmait MacCairbre, harper, was executed,1553, Tadhg, son of Ruaidhri Ó Comhdhain, i. e. the ollamh of Éire and Alba in music, died. 1561, Naisse mac Cithruadh, drowned on Lough Gill, daighre Ó Duibhgeannáin, a most affable, musical man, died. Early Irish poetry and song has been translated into modern Irish and English by notable Irish poets, song collectors and musicians. The 6th century hymn Rop tú mo baile by Dallán Forgaill for example, was published in 1905 in English by Mary Elizabeth Byrne, the Blackbird of Belfast Lough has been notably translated by poets such as Seamus Heaney, Ciaran Carson and Frank OConnor. Some musicians were acclaimed in places beyond Ireland, cú Chuimne lived much of his adult life in Gaelic Scotland, and composed at least one hymn. Foillan, who was alive in the century, travelled through much of Britain and France, around 653 at the request of St. Gertrude of Brabant

13.
Irish dance
–
Irish dancing or Irish dance is a group of traditional dance forms originating in Ireland which can broadly be divided into social dances and performance dances. Irish social dancing can be divided further into céilí and set dancing, Irish set dances are quadrilles, danced by four couples arranged in a square, while céilí dances are danced by varied formations of two to sixteen people. In addition to their formation, there are significant stylistic differences between two forms of social dance. Irish step dancing, popularised in 1994 by the world-famous show Riverdance, is notable for its rapid leg and foot movements, body and arms being kept largely stationary. The solo stepdance is generally characterised by a controlled and rigid body, straight arms and back. The solo dances can either be in soft shoes or hard shoes, soft shoes are often called ghillies or pumps. They are constructed of very soft kid leather - similar to ballet shoes in texture and their laces crisscross across the top of the feet and are tied up either around the ankle or under the arch of the foot. Hard shoes are called heavy shoes or jig shoes. They are used to create the beautiful rhythmical percussions and they are made of black leather with fibreglass heels and taps on the tips of the shoes with a leather strap across the top of the foot. The dancing traditions of Ireland probably grew in association with traditional Irish music. Although its origins are unclear, Irish dancing was later influenced by dance forms from the Continent, travelling dancing masters taught all over Ireland, as late as the 18th and early 19th centuries. During this time, places for competitions and feis were always small and they had to dance on tabletops, sometimes even the top of a barrel. Because of this, the styles were very contained, with hands rigid at the sides. As time went on, larger places for competitions and performances were found, so styles grew to include more movement, more dancing across the stage as seen, for example. Irish social, or céilí /ˈkeɪli/ dances vary widely throughout Ireland, a céilí dance may be performed with as few as two people and as many as sixteen. Céilí dances may also be danced with an number of couples in a long line or proceeding around in a circle. Céilí dances are often fast and some are quite complex, in a social setting, a céilí dance may be called – that is, the upcoming steps are announced during the dance for the benefit of newcomers. The céilí dances are danced to Irish instruments such as the Irish bodhrán or fiddle in addition to the concertina, guitar

14.
Republic of Ireland
–
Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a sovereign state in north-western Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the part of the island. The state shares its land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, Saint Georges Channel to the south-east, and it is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President, the state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It was officially declared a republic in 1949, following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955. It joined the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union, after joining the EEC, Ireland enacted a series of liberal economic policies that resulted in rapid economic growth. The country achieved considerable prosperity between the years of 1995 and 2007, which known as the Celtic Tiger period. This was halted by a financial crisis that began in 2008. However, as the Irish economy was the fastest growing in the EU in 2015, Ireland is again quickly ascending league tables comparing wealth and prosperity internationally. For example, in 2015, Ireland was ranked as the joint sixth most developed country in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index and it also performs well in several national performance metrics, including freedom of the press, economic freedom and civil liberties. Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a member of the Council of Europe. The 1922 state, comprising 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland, was styled, the Constitution of Ireland, adopted in 1937, provides that the name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland. Section 2 of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 states, It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland. The 1948 Act does not name the state as Republic of Ireland, because to have done so would have put it in conflict with the Constitution. The government of the United Kingdom used the name Eire, and, from 1949, Republic of Ireland, for the state, as well as Ireland, Éire or the Republic of Ireland, the state is also referred to as the Republic, Southern Ireland or the South. In an Irish republican context it is referred to as the Free State or the 26 Counties. From the Act of Union on 1 January 1801, until 6 December 1922, during the Great Famine, from 1845 to 1849, the islands population of over 8 million fell by 30%

15.
Northern Ireland
–
Northern Ireland is a constituent unit of the United Kingdom in the north-east of Ireland. It is variously described as a country, province, region, or part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the total population. Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by an act of the British parliament, Northern Ireland has historically been the most industrialised region of Ireland. After declining as a result of the political and social turmoil of the Troubles, its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17. 2% in 1986, dropping to 6. 1% for June–August 2014,58. 2% of those unemployed had been unemployed for over a year. Prominent artists and sports persons from Northern Ireland include Van Morrison, Rory McIlroy, Joey Dunlop, Wayne McCullough, some people from Northern Ireland prefer to identify as Irish while others prefer to identify as British. Cultural links between Northern Ireland, the rest of Ireland, and the rest of the UK are complex, in many sports, the island of Ireland fields a single team, a notable exception being association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games. The region that is now Northern Ireland was the bedrock of the Irish war of resistance against English programmes of colonialism in the late 16th century, the English-controlled Kingdom of Ireland had been declared by the English king Henry VIII in 1542, but Irish resistance made English control fragmentary. Victories by English forces in war and further Protestant victories in the Williamite War in Ireland toward the close of the 17th century solidified Anglican rule in Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the victories of the Siege of Derry and their intention was to materially disadvantage the Catholic community and, to a lesser extent, the Presbyterian community. In the context of open institutional discrimination, the 18th century saw secret, militant societies develop in communities in the region and act on sectarian tensions in violent attacks. Following this, in an attempt to quell sectarianism and force the removal of discriminatory laws, the new state, formed in 1801, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, was governed from a single government and parliament based in London. Between 1717 and 1775 some 250,000 people from Ulster emigrated to the British North American colonies and it is estimated that there are more than 27 million Scotch-Irish Americans now living in the US. By the close of the century, autonomy for Ireland within the United Kingdom, in 1912, after decades of obstruction from the House of Lords, Home Rule became a near-certainty. A clash between the House of Commons and House of Lords over a controversial budget produced the Parliament Act 1911, which enabled the veto of the Lords to be overturned. The House of Lords veto had been the unionists main guarantee that Home Rule would not be enacted, in 1914, they smuggled thousands of rifles and rounds of ammunition from Imperial Germany for use by the Ulster Volunteers, a paramilitary organisation opposed to the implementation of Home Rule

16.
Ladies' Gaelic Football Association
–
The Ladies Gaelic Football Association is the organisation which promotes and regulates ladies gaelic football in the Ireland. Many dates are suggested for the foundation of the Association and it is understood that a parish league was in operation in Corr an Chláir as far back as 1926. The first Championship Trophy (the Brendan Martin Cup was contested in Autumn of the year 1974, eight counties — Roscommon, Laois, Offaly, Galway, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Tipperary — participated in the inaugural set of games, and Tipperary won the championship. Gradually, the number of competing counties increased, in 1982 the Association received recognition for the first time as a body independent of the GAA. At the beginning of the 1990s, counties which were not already registered joined the organisation, Ladies Gaelic football is now also played in the United Kingdom, Mainland Europe, the United States, Australia and Asia, mostly among members of the Irish diaspora. The Association has a structure to the GAA in that there are clubs, provincial councils, county boards. The organisation has a convention where representatives from all clubs. Representatives of clubs in other countries are also in attendance and it is at this convention that the Associations officials are elected every year and where the president is elected every three years. The current president is Marie Hickey

17.
Culture of Ireland
–
The culture of Ireland includes customs and traditions, language, music, art, literature, folklore, cuisine and sports associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its history, Irelands culture has been primarily Gaelic. It has also influenced by Anglo-Norman, English and Scottish culture. The Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland in the 12th century, while the 16th/17th century conquest, today, there are notable cultural differences between those of Catholic and Protestant background, and between travellers and the settled population. Due to large-scale emigration from Ireland, Irish culture has a reach and festivals such as Saint Patricks Day. Irish culture has to some degree been inherited and modified by the Irish diaspora, in historic times, texts such as the Táin Bó Cúailinge show a society in which cattle represented a primary source of wealth and status. Little of this had changed by the time of the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, giraldus Cambrensis portrayed a Gaelic society in which cattle farming and transhumance was the norm. The Normans replaced traditional clan land management with the system of land tenure. This led to the imposition of the village, parish and county over the system of townlands. In general, a parish was a civil and religious unit with a manor, a village, each parish incorporated one or more existing townlands into its boundaries. With the gradual extension of English feudalism over the island, the Irish county structure came into existence and was completed in 1610 and these structures are still of vital importance in the daily life of Irish communities. Apart from the significance of the parish, most rural postal addresses consist of house. This situation continued up to the end of the 19th century, in this process of reform, the former tenants and labourers became land owners, with the great estates being broken up into small- and medium-sized farms and smallholdings. The process continued well into the 20th century with the work of the Irish Land Commission and this contrasted with Britain, where many of the big estates were left intact. One consequence of this is the widely recognised cultural phenomenon of land hunger amongst the new class of Irish farmer. In general, this means that families will do almost anything to retain land ownership within the family unit. The majority of the Irish calendar today still reflects the old pagan customs, christmas in Ireland has several local traditions, some in no way connected with Christianity. On 26 December, there is a custom of Wrenboys who call door to door with an arrangement of assorted material to represent a dead wren caught in the furze, the festival is in remembrance to Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland

18.
Irish diaspora
–
The Irish diaspora refers to Irish people and their descendants who live outside Ireland. This is more than the population of Ireland at its peak in the 1840s of 8.5 million. The poorest of them went to Great Britain, especially Liverpool, after 1840, emigration from Ireland became a massive, relentless, and efficiently managed national enterprise. In 1890 40% of Irish-born people were living abroad, by the 21st century, an estimated 80 million people worldwide claimed some Irish descent, which includes more than 36 million Americans who claim Irish as their primary ethnicity. As recently as the half of the nineteenth century, the majority of Irish emigrants spoke Irish as their first language. This had social and cultural consequences for the cultivation of the language abroad, the language continues to be cultivated abroad by a small minority as a literary and social medium. Joe McHugh is the Republic of Irelands Minister of State for the Diaspora, the term Irish diaspora is open to many interpretations. It has been argued the idea of an Irish diaspora, as distinct from the old identification of Irishness with Ireland itself, was influenced by the advent of global mobility and modernity. Irishness could now be identified with dispersed individuals and groups of Irish descent, but many of those individuals were the product of complex ethnic intermarriage in America and elsewhere, complicating the idea of a single line of descent. Irishness might then rely primarily on identification with an Irish diaspora. The Government of Ireland defines the Irish diaspora as all persons of Irish nationality who habitually reside outside of the island of Ireland and this includes Irish citizens who have emigrated abroad and their children, who are Irish citizens by descent under Irish law. It also includes their grandchildren in cases where they were registered as Irish citizens in the Foreign Births Register held in every Irish diplomatic mission, under this legal definition, the Irish diaspora is considerably smaller—some 3 million persons, of whom 1.2 million are Irish-born emigrants. This is still a large ratio for any country, however, the usage of Irish diaspora is generally not limited by citizenship status, thus leading to an estimated membership of up to 80 million persons—the second and more emotive definition. The right to register as an Irish citizen terminates at the third generation and this contrasts with citizenship law in Italy, Israel, Japan and other countries which practice jus sanguinis or otherwise permit members of the diaspora to register as citizens. There are people of Irish descent abroad who reject inclusion in an Irish diaspora and they may see the diasporic label as something used by the Irish government for its own purposes. The Attacotti, who were recruited into the Roman army. Following the withdrawal of the Roman army, the Irish began increasing their footholds in Britain, in time, the Irish colonies became independent, merged with the Pictish kingdom, and formed the basis of modern Scotland. The traditionally Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland are still referred to in the Gaelic language as a Ghàidhealtachd, Irish monks, and the Celtic church, pioneered a wave of Irish emigration into Great Britain, and continental Europe

19.
Hayes' Hotel
–
Hayes Hotel is a hotel in Libery Square Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland. In 1884 the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in the room of the hotel. The hotel traded under the name The Star and Garter in the 18th Century, the hotel was purchased in the 1830s by William Boyton and became known as Boytons Hotel. In the 1870s the hotel was purchased by Miss Eliza J. Hayes and thus known as Hayes Commercial. On the 1 November 1884, a group of Irishmen gathered in the Hotel billiard room to formulate a plan and establish an organisation to foster and preserve Irelands unique games, and so was founded one of the worlds greatest amateur associations, the GAA. The architects and founding members were Michael Cusack of County Clare, Maurice Davin, John K. Bracken, George McCarthy, P. J. Ryan of Tipperary, John Wise-Power, and John McKay. The hotel is a venue on the day of the Munster final when it is held in Thurles. In April 2013, Hayes Hotel, went into receivership, the hotel was to remain open following the appointment of receivers, however they didnt offer room sales. History of the Gaelic Athletic Association Official Site Official Website

20.
Michael Cusack
–
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Cusack was born to Irish speaking parents, in the parish of Carran on the fringe of the Burren, County Clare, in 1847. Cusack became a school teacher, and after teaching in various parts of Ireland became a professor in 1874 in Blackrock College. In 1877, Cusack established his own Civil Service Academy, Cusacks Academy in Dublin which proved successful in preparing pupils for the civil service examinations, a romantic nationalist, Cusack was also reputed to have been associated with the Fenian movement. He was active in the Gaelic revival, a member of the Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language which was founded in 1876, also in 1879, Cusack met Pat Nally, who was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and a leading nationalist and athlete. Cusack found that Nallys views on the influence of British landlordism on Irish athletics were the same as his, davin was elected president and Cusack became its first secretary. Later, Archbishop Thomas William Croke, Archbishop of Cashel & Emly, Michael Davitt, Cusack also became involved in the Irish language movement, founding The Celtic Times, a weekly newspaper which focused on native games and Irish culture. Cusack died in Dublin on 27 November 1906 at the age of 59, the bigoted character of The Citizen in James Joyces novel Ulysses is thought to have been at least in part based on what has been described as a jaundiced portrait of Michael Cusack. The Clare GAA pitch in Ennis, and the Westmeath GAA pitch in Mullingar, are both named Cusack Park in his honour, as is the Cusack Stand in Croke Park, the primary school Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg in Ennis, County Clare, is also named after him. Michael Cusackss Sydney GAA Club was founded in 1988 by a group of Clare men and was named in honour of the man from Carran, Michael Cusacks Sydney is now the largest GAA club in New South Wales. Chicago Michael Cusack Hurling Club is a GAA club consisting entirely of American-born players founded in 2008, a small collection of family papers was donated to the James Hardiman Library, NUI Galway, by his grandniece, Patricia OConnell. Michael Cusack Visitor Centre Michael Cusacks Sydney GAA Chicago Michael Cusack Hurling Club Michael Cusacks London GAA NUIG Archives list P95

21.
County Clare
–
County Clare is a county in Ireland, in the Mid-West Region and the province of Munster. Clare County Council is the local authority, the county had a population of 117,196 at the 2011 census. Clare is north-west of the River Shannon covering an area of 3,400 square kilometres. Clare was founded by the noble Luke Fitzgerald, A knight of Internal Audit, Clare is the 7th largest of Irelands 32 traditional counties in area and the 19th largest in terms of population. It is bordered by two counties in Munster and one county in Connacht, County Limerick to the south, County Tipperary to the east, clares nickname is the Banner County. The county is divided into the baronies of Bunratty Lower, Bunratty Upper, Burren, Clonderalaw, Corcomroe, Ibrickan, Inchiquin, Islands, Moyarta, Tulla Lower and these in turn are divided into civil parishes, which are divided into townlands. These divisions are cadastral, defining land boundaries and ownership, rather than administrative, bodies of water define much of the physical boundaries of Clare. To the southeast is the River Shannon, Irelands longest river, the border to the northeast is defined by Lough Derg which is the third largest lake on Ireland. To the west is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the north is Galway Bay, County Clare contains The Burren, a unique karst region, which contains rare flowers and fauna. At the western edge of The Burren, facing the Atlantic Ocean, are the Cliffs of Moher, the highest point in County Clare is Moylussa,532 m, in the Slieve Bernagh range in the east of the county. Clare is one of the richest places for these tombs in Ireland, the most noted one is in The Burren area, it is known as Poulnabrone dolmen which translates to hole of sorrows. The remains of the people inside the tomb have been excavated and dated to 3800 BC, Ptolemy created a map of Ireland in his Geographia with information dating from 100 AD, it is the oldest written account of the island with geographical features. Within his map Ptolemy names the Gaelic tribes inhabiting it and the areas in which they resided and it was renamed Thomond, meaning North Munster and spawned Brian Boru during this period, perhaps the most noted High King of Ireland. From 1118 onwards the Kingdom of Thomond was in place as its own petty kingdom, after the Norman invasion of Ireland, Thomas de Clare established a short-lived Norman lordship of Thomond, extinguished at the Battle of Dysert ODea in 1318 during Edward Bruces invasion. There are two hypotheses for the origins of the county name Clare. One hypothesis is that the name is derived from Thomas_de_Clare, _Lord_of_Thomond who was embroiled in local politics. An alternative hypothesis is that the county name Clare comes from the settlement of Clare whose Irish name Clár refers to a crossing over the River Fergus. In 1543, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, Murrough OBrien by surrender, Henry Sidney as Lord Deputy of Ireland responded the Desmond Rebellion by creating the presidency of Connaught in 1569 and presidency of Munster in 1570

22.
Maurice Davin
–
Maurice Davin was an Irish farmer who became co-founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He was also the first President of the GAA and the man ever to serve two terms as president. He was born in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary and he became an extremely talented athlete and achieved international fame in the 1870s when he held numerous world records for running, hurdling, jumping and weight-throwing. In fact at a time he was regarded as the best athlete in the world, from 1887 he actively campaigned for a body to control Irish athletics. Athletics in Ireland at the time was controlled directly by an English association which excluded the masses from most competitions, Irish football is a great game he wrote, but there are no rules for either hurling or football and they are often dangerous. In that meeting they established a Gaelic athletic association for the preservation and cultivation of national pastimes, as far as we know, only six others attended the historic meeting. Davin was elected President and Cusack became its first secretary, John Wyse Power and John McKay were also elected secretaries. Later, Thomas Croke, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, Michael Davitt, the following year standardised rules were set for hurling, football, weight throwing, jumping, running, walking and cycling. Séamus Ó Riain described Davin as the rock on which the Association survived turbulent waves, many top games including the 1904 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final between Kilkenny and Cork were played on Davins farm. The Davin Stand in Croke Park, Dublin is named in his honour as are some GAA clubs throughout the country including Carrick Davins in Tipperary

23.
Royal Irish Constabulary
–
The Royal Irish Constabulary was the armed police force of the United Kingdom in Ireland from the early nineteenth century until 1922. About seventy-five percent of the RIC were Roman Catholic and about twenty-five percent were of various Protestant denominations, the Catholics mainly constables and the Protestants officers. In consequence of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the RIC was disbanded in 1922 and was replaced by the Garda Síochána in the Irish Free State and the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland. The 1822 Act established a force in each province with chief constables, by 1841 this force numbered over 8,600 men. The original force had been reorganised under The Act of 1836, the discipline was strict and the pay low. The police faced civil unrest among the Irish rural poor, and was involved in bloody confrontations during the period of the Tithe War, other deployments were against organisations like the Ribbonmen, which attacked landlords, their property and stock. This was followed by a period of relative calm, the advent of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, founded in 1858, brought a plan for an armed uprising. Direct action began with the Fenian Rising of 1867, Fenians attacked on the more isolated police barracks and smaller stations. This rebellion was put down with ruthless efficiency, the police had infiltrated the Fenians with informers. The RIC presided over a decline in general crime around the country. The unstable rural unrest of the nineteenth century characterised by secret organisations. Policing generally became a routine of controlling misdemeanours such as moonshine distilling, public drunkenness, minor theft, a Land War broke out in the 1879–82 Depression period, causing some general unrest. In Belfast, with its boom, the working population mushroomed. Much of the increase arose from Catholic migration and there were serious riots in 1857,1864,1872 and 1886. As a result, the small Belfast Town Police civic force was disbanded, likewise in 1870, the RIC took over the duties of the Londonderry Borough Police. About 70% of the force in Belfast declared their support of the strikers and were encouraged by Larkin to carry out their own strike for higher wages. It never came to fruition, however, as dissident policemen were transferred out of Belfast four days before the strike was to begin, barrett and six other constables were dismissed and extra British Army troops were deployed to Belfast. The dock strike ended on 28 August 1907, the RICs existence was, increasingly troubled by the rise of the Home Rule campaign in the early twentieth century period prior to World War I

24.
Conradh na Gaeilge
–
Conradh na Gaeilge is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, the organisation would be the spearhead of the Gaelic revival and Gaeilgeoir activism. Originally the organisation intended to be apolitical, but many of its participants became involved in Irish nationalism, bruce Stewart suggests that an address by Douglas Hyde led to the formation of the Gaelic League with Hyde as the president. The address titled ‘The Necessity for De-Anglicising Ireland’ was delivered by Hyde to the Irish National Literary Society, the organisation developed from Ulick Bourkes earlier Gaelic Union and became the leading institution promoting the Gaelic Revival, carrying on efforts like the publishing of the Gaelic Journal. The Leagues first newspaper was An Claidheamh Soluis and its most noted editor was Patrick Pearse, the motto of the League was Sinn Féin, Sinn Féin amháin. The League encouraged female participation from the start and a number of women played a prominent role and they were not restricted to subordinate roles, but played an active part in leadership, although males were in the overwhelming majority. At the annual convention in 1906 women were elected to seven of the forty-five positions on the Gaelic League executive. Executive members included Máire Ní Chinnéide, Úna Ní Fhaircheallaigh, Bean an Doc Uí Choisdealbha, Máire Ní hAodáin, Máire de Buitléir, Nellie OBrien, Eibhlín Ní Dhonnabháin, though apolitical, the organisation attracted many Irish nationalists of different persuasions, much like the Gaelic Athletic Association. It was through the League that many political leaders and rebels first met. Most of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation were members and it still continued to attract many Irish Republicans. Sean MacStiofain, the first chief of staff of the Provisional IRA was a prominent member in his later life. After the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922, the organisation had a prominent role in public life as Irish was made a compulsory subject in state-funded schools. It did unexpectedly badly in the Irish Seanad election,1925, conradh na Gaeilge was among the principal organisations responsible for co-ordinating the successful campaign to make Irish an official language of the European Union. Conradh na Gaeilge have responded by asking voters in the general election to vote only for candidates who are in favour of Irishs required position remaining. The organisation has branches in parts of Ireland and abroad and is closely involved in the development of the Seachtain na Gaeilge promotional campaign. Conradh na Gaeilge has recently opened free legal advice centres in Dublin, the Gaelic League publishes a magazine called Feasta, founded in 1948. This magazine, while it promotes the aims of the League, 1893–1915, Douglas Hyde 1916–1919, Eoin Mac Néill 1919–1922, Seán Ua Ceallaigh 1922–1925, Peadar Mac Fhionnlaoich 1925–1926, Seán P

25.
Scotland GAA
–
The Scotland Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Scotland GAA is one of the county boards of the GAA outwith Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in Scotland. The county board is responsible for the Scottish inter-county teams. The team had ever made the final once before back in 2006. On the way to the title they beat Yorkshire and Kilkenny before beating Warwickshire in the final to a scoreline of 3-10 to 2-07 and this set up an All-Ireland Junior Semi-final with Cavan. However they were defeated on the day to a scoreline of 1-17 to 0-06,2015 became a momentous year for the Scotland ladies team as they reached the All-Ireland Junior Final to be played at Croke Park. They beat Derry with a line of 1-13 to 2-05 at Fingallians GAA ground. They now play Louth at Croke Park on the 27th of September 2015

26.
Shinty
–
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. While comparisons are made with field hockey, the two games have several important differences. In shinty, a player is allowed to play the ball in the air and is allowed to use both sides of the stick, called a caman, which is wooden and slanted on both sides. The stick may also be used to block and to tackle, although a player may not come down on an opponents stick, players may also tackle using the body as long as it is shoulder-to-shoulder. The game was derived from the root as the Irish game of hurling and the Welsh game of bando. These rules are governed by the Camanachd Association, a composite rules shinty–hurling game has been developed, which allows Scotland and Ireland to play annual international matches. Another sport with common ancestry is bandy, which is played on ice, Shinty is older than the recorded history of Scotland and is thought to predate Christianity. Hurling, an Irish pastime for at least 2,000 years similar to shinty, is derived from the historic game common to both peoples, Shinty/Hurling appears prominently in the legend of Cúchulainn, the Celtic mythology hero. A similar game was played on the Isle of Man known as cammag, the old form of hurling played in the northern half of Ireland, called commons, resembled shinty more closely than the standardised form of hurling of today. Like shinty, it was known as camánacht and was traditionally played in winter. The origins of the name shinty are uncertain, in Uist, stalks of seaweed were put to use due to a lack of trees. Modern camans are made from several laminates of ash or hickory, the ball was traditionally a round piece of wood or bone, sometimes called a cnapag, but soon developed into the worsted leather balls used today. The objective of the game is to play a ball into a goal, or hail. The game is played on grass, although as of 2009 the sport may be played on artificial turf. The pitch also has marks indicating a 10 yard area around the goals, the penalty and centre spots, and corner arcs at the corners of the rectangular pitch of 2 yards or 2 metres radius. The goals, at ends of the field, measure 12 feet wide and 10 feet high. The ball is a solid sphere of around half the diameter of a tennis ball. It is very similar to a hurling sliotar in that it resembles an American baseball with more pronounced stitching, with the permitted circumference between seven and a half and eight inches and weight between two and a half and three ounces

27.
Scotland
–
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles, the Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of England and King of Ireland, Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain. The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain, which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. Within Scotland, the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles, titles, the legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law. Glasgow, Scotlands largest city, was one of the worlds leading industrial cities. Other major urban areas are Aberdeen and Dundee, Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third-largest city in Scotland, the title of Europes oil capital, following a referendum in 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members, having authority over many areas of domestic policy. Scotland is represented in the UK Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6 MEPs, Scotland is also a member nation of the British–Irish Council, and the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly. Scotland comes from Scoti, the Latin name for the Gaels, the Late Latin word Scotia was initially used to refer to Ireland. By the 11th century at the latest, Scotia was being used to refer to Scotland north of the River Forth, alongside Albania or Albany, the use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages. Repeated glaciations, which covered the land mass of modern Scotland. It is believed the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12,800 years ago, the groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the mainland of Orkney dates from this period and it contains the remains of an early Bronze Age ruler laid out on white quartz pebbles and birch bark. It was also discovered for the first time that early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves, in the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths. In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll, when the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs. William Watt of Skaill, the laird, began an amateur excavation of the site, but after uncovering four houses

28.
International rules football
–
The first tour, known as the Australian Football World Tour, took place in 1967, with matches played in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The following year, games were played between Australia and a touring County Meath Gaelic football team, Meath being the reigning All-Ireland senior football champions, International rules football does not have any dedicated clubs or leagues. It is currently played by mens, womens, and junior teams only in tournaments or Test matches, a player must bounce, solo or touch the ball on the ground once every 10 metres or six steps. A maximum of two bounces per possession are allowed, while players can solo the ball as often as they wish on a possession, unlike in Gaelic football, the ball may be lifted directly off the ground, without putting a foot underneath it first. Players however cannot scoop the ball off the ground to a team-mate, if a foul is committed, a free kick will be awarded, referees can give the fouled player advantage to play on at their discretion. A further 6.5 metres apart on either side of those and did not connected by a crossbar are 2 small post, known as behind post, as in Australian rules football. Points are scored as follows, Under the crossbar and into the net,6 points, umpire waves green flag. Over the crossbar and between the two posts,3 points, umpire waves red flag and raises one arm above his head. Between either of large posts and a small posts,1 point, umpire waves white flag, an international rules match lasts for 72 minutes. As in Gaelic football, teams consist of fifteen players, including a goalkeeper, the 2006 Womens Series has been the only series to take place. Among the first schoolboys international tests was that played in Melbourne in 1983, an interesting twist in these compromise matches is that the ball used was the oval shaped Australian football rather than the round ball. An official junior series at Under-17 level has played in alternate nations since the early 2000s. Ireland completed a hat-trick of series wins from 2003–2005 before Australia won the series for 2006. The junior series was instituted by both leagues as a means to identify emerging talent. The Australian amateur team wore a different jersey to the AFL representative side, dark green and gold, recently, the Victorian Amateur Football Association has sent a squad of players sourced from the top six divisions of its competition to tour Ireland and play various clubs and representative teams. International rules also has a category with several competitions. There is also a Masters International Rules Series which follows the format of the mens series and involves many retired Australian Rules. In the International Rules Series, the most well-known International Rules event, Ireland currently leads Australia 10-9 in series wins and they also won the most recent event 56-52 in a one-off test at Croke Park in Dublin

29.
Ireland international rules football team
–
This article concerns the mens team, for information on the Irish womens team, see Ireland womens international rules football team. The Ireland international rules team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football. The team is made up of Irish players from the Gaelic Athletic Association, prior to 2006, an under-19 and under-17 team had participated in a similar series, while a womens representative team participated in 2006 only. At present the only team Ireland plays is the Australia international rules football team, as of 2015, Ireland have won ten of 19 series, won 21 of 40 test matches played and participated in two draws, all since the inaugural 1984 Series. † This figure does not indicate the number of test matches these players have played, rather it indicates the number of times they have been selected in an Ireland squad. Ireland womens international football team

30.
Australia international rules football team
–
This article concerns the mens team, for information on the Australian womens team, see Australia womens international rules football team. The Australia international rules team is Australias senior representative team in International rules football. The current team is made up of players from the Australian Football League. Although Australian rules football is played around the world at an amateur level, hence, selection in the Australian international rules team is the only opportunity that Australian rules footballers have to represent their country. Until 2004 the majority of the mens Australian squad was composed of members of the All-Australian team, in 2005 the decision was made to select players best suited to the conditions of the hybrid game, which resulted in a younger, smaller and quicker team being selected. However this was reverted to the All-Australian model ahead of the 2014 series, for the 2013 Series only, the decision was made to select an all-Indigenous team, known as the Indigenous All Stars. Competing in the International Rules Series, the only team Australia plays against is the Ireland international rules football team, the series has been played intermittently since 1984. Australian under-age teams have represented in the past, as well as a womens team in 2006. Australia last hosted the International Rules Series in 2014 and he was replaced in the squad for the second game by Josh Hunt. **Lindsay Gilbee and Sam Fisher only played in the first game, ***Brett Peake and David Mundy only played in the second game. The 1984–1990 Australian teams wore a traditional Australian rules sleeveless guernsey in plain gold, the teams of 1998–2011 wore a predominantly navy blue gaelic football style guernsey, with either a green or gold v or green and gold sash. The Indigenous All Stars team which represented Australia in 2013 wore a unique Indigenous-styled guernsey, ahead of the 2014 test match, the Australian guernsey was significantly altered, in favour of a mix of green and gold, with the traditional v-shape. Australia womens international football team International rules football Jim Stynes Medal

31.
Australian Football League
–
The Australian Football League is the pre-eminent professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the governing body. The league was founded as the Victorian Football League as a breakaway from the previous Victorian Football Association, the league currently consists of 18 teams spread over five of Australias six states. Matches have been played in all states and territories of Australia. The AFL season currently consists of a competition, followed by a 23-round regular season. The top eight teams play off in a four-round finals series, culminating in the AFL Grand Final. The winning team in the Grand Final is termed the premiers, the current premiers are the Western Bulldogs. The six clubs invited two more VFA clubs – Carlton and St Kilda – to join the league for its season in 1897. In 1908, the league expanded to ten teams, with Richmond crossing from the VFA, Port Adelaide was the most successful club of the competition winning three titles during the period along with an earlier victory. In 1925, the VFL expanded from nine teams to twelve, with Footscray, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Hawthorn remained very weak in the VFL for a very long period. Between the years of 1927 and 1930, Collingwood became the first, in 1952, the VFL hosted National Day, when all six matches were played outside of Melbourne. Matches were played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Brisbane Exhibition Ground, North Hobart Oval, Albury Sports Ground and Victorian country towns Yallourn, Footscray became the first of the 1925 expansion teams to win the premiership in 1954. Melbourne became a powerhouse during the 1950s and early 1960s under coach Norm Smith, the club contested seven consecutive grand finals from 1954 to 1960, winning five premierships, including three in a row from 1955 to 1957. Television coverage began in 1957, with telecasts of the final quarter permitted. At first, several channels competed through broadcasting different games, however, when the VFL found that television was reducing crowds, it decided that no coverage was to be allowed for 1960. In 1961, replays were introduced although direct telecasts were rarely permitted in Melbourne, in 1959, the VFL planned the first purpose built mega-stadium, VFL Park, to give it some independence from the Melbourne Cricket Club, which managed the Melbourne Cricket Ground. VFL Park was planned to hold 155,000 spectators, which would have made it one of the largest stadiums in the world – although it would ultimately be built with a capacity of 78,000. Land for the stadium was purchased at Mulgrave, then farmland, the VFL Premiership Trophy was first awarded in addition to a pennant flag in 1959, essentially the same trophy design has been in use since

32.
C.L.G. Ghaoth Dobhair
–
Ghaoth Dobhair is a GAA club based in the parish of Gweedore in northwest County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. They are one of the strongholds of Gaelic football in County Donegal and their home ground is at Machaire Gathlán, and they are currently the most successful club in both the Donegal Senior Football Championship and Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta. They currently have the most players on the Donegal Senior Panel with 6, veterans Neil and Eamon McGee along with youngsters Odhran MacNiallais, Kieran Gillespie, Michael Carroll and Cian Mulligan. Past players such as Neili Gallagher, Hughie Tim Boyle, Kevin Cassidy, the first records of Gaelic football being played in Gaoth Dobhair date back to 1918. Up until the late 1920s, there was no official club, cumann Lúthchleas Gael Ghaoth Dobhair would later be founded in 1931. Their traditional local rivals are Dungloe and Falcarragh but their biggest rivals are St Eunans of Letterkenny, the two clubs are Donegals most successful clubs and usually have feisty and tough matches that are full of drama and great football skill from under 12 level right up to senior level. Ghaoth Dobhair are known for their physical, handpassing and never say die attitude style of play, the club is also famous for its Thursday night discos during the summer which has been running since the 70s. This is an income provider for the club and people travel from as far as Downings and Killybegs to attend due to its good reputation. Underage development has improved in recent times with successes in the under-14, under-15, under-16 and this success is largely down to the coaching plans and underage structure put in place by a number of members in the early noughties. In the summer of 2012, after years of planning and development, in 2016 plans were laid down to replace the old pitch with a brand new one featuring a small stand opposite the clubhouse. Gaoth Dobhair have won a total of 14 Donegal Senior County Championships and they are also the most successful team in Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta history, with nine wins. The last of their Senior County Championships was won against rivals St Eunans on 30 September 2006 at Mac Cumhaill Park, in the summer of 2012, Ghaoth Dobhair won the Donegal and All-Ireland Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta on their own pitch. This underage team has provided 3 senior players,8 under 21 and 11 minor players for their county teams in the past 3 years. L. G

33.
Gweedore
–
Gweedore is an Irish-speaking parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Gweedore includes the villages Bunbeg, Derrybeg, Dunlewey, Crolly and Brinalack and this, along with its scenery and many beaches, has made the area a popular tourist destination, especially with visitors from Northern Ireland. Gweedore is the anglicisation of the original and official Irish name Gaoth Dobhair, Gaoth refers to an inlet of the sea at the mouth of the Crolly River, known as An Ghaoth. It is the boundary between Gweedore to the north and The Rosses to the south, dobhar is an old Irish word for water. Therefore, Gaoth Dobhair translates as the aqueous estuary, the name Gweedore or Gaoth Dobhair refers to the Catholic parish of the same name, not to any one village or town. The villages of Bunbeg, Derrybeg, Dunlewey and others are known as Gweedore. Gweedore has a population of 4,500 and is divided into 3 EDs, Machaire Chlochair with a population of 2,651, cnoc Fola/Mín an Chladaigh with a population of 1,326 and 83% Irish speakers. Dún Lúiche with a population of 695 and 76% Irish speakers, the predominant spoken language of the district is Irish, but English can be widely heard as well. All schools, religious services, and advertisements are through Irish and this is a Gaeltacht, an where the Irish language is the first language, providing an unbroken link with millennia of Irish history and culture. Since most of the inhabitants of the village are bilingual, it is common to hear English vocabulary used within an Irish sentence and vice versa, for example, the Irish suffix -ailte or -eáilte is used to form a Gaelicised version of English verbs, as in wreckailte tired. The Plantation of Ulster in 1609 added a twist to the fate of the parish, Irish-speaking families who were driven from their fertile lands in the Lagan Valley and the surrounding areas made their way to the poor boglands of west Donegal. Some of them made it as far as Gweedore and could go no further west, around the same time, English and Scottish colonists began to arrive when this uncharted territory was converted to baronies. It appears the parish was very sparsely populated up until the 17th century, the first people to arrive lived on the islands or by the shore in clusters, pockets of houses built close together and in each others shade. Up until the early 19th century the parish was only lightly populated, the standard of life was to deteriorate with the arrival of new landlords in the 19th century, in particular Lord George Augusta Hill and his son Arthur. The people of the led by James McFadden, the parish priest in 1875–1901, challenged the landlords with the founding of the Land League. The case was recalled in the 1928 memoirs of Tim Healy, an Irish American journalist, W. H. Hurlbert, also investigated the landlord-tenant dispute in Gweedore in minute detail in his book Ireland under Coercion, published in 1888. Many books have published in Irish, and several in English. One of the most prolific of local historians was Cáit Nic Giolla Bhríde, on the afternoon of 23 June 2009, a severe thunderstorm struck Gweedore

34.
County Donegal
–
County Donegal is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region of the Republic of Ireland and is in the province of Ulster and it is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. Donegal County Council is the council for the county and Lifford serves as the county town. The population of the county is 158,755 according to the 2016 census and it has also been known as Tyrconnell, after the historic territory of the same name. In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster, uniquely, County Donegal shares a small border with only one other county in the Republic of Ireland – County Leitrim. The greater part of its border is shared with three counties of Northern Ireland, County Londonderry, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh. While Lifford is the county town, Letterkenny is by far the largest town in the county with a population of 19,588, Letterkenny and the nearby city of Derry form the main economic axis of the northwest of Ireland. Indeed, what became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610, there are two Gaeltacht districts in the west, The Rosses, centred on the town of Dungloe, and Gweedore. Another Gaeltacht district is located in the north-west, Cloughaneely, centred on the town of Falcarragh, the most northerly part of the island of Ireland is the location for three peninsulas of outstanding natural beauty, Inishowen, Fanad and Rosguill. The main population centre of Inishowen, Irelands largest peninsula, is Buncrana, in the east of the county lies the Finn Valley. The Laggan district is centred on the town of Raphoe, according to the 1841 Census, County Donegal had a population of 296,000 people. As a result of famine and emigration, the population had reduced by 41,000 by 1851, by the time of the 1951 Census the population was only 44% of what it had been in 1841. The 2006 Census, undertaken by the States Central Statistics Office, had County Donegals population standing at 147,264, according to the 2011 Census, the countys population had grown to 161,137. It has an indented coastline forming natural sea loughs, of which both Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle are the most notable. The Slieve League cliffs are the sixth-highest sea cliffs in Europe, the climate is temperate and dominated by the Gulf Stream, with warm, damp summers and mild wet winters. Two permanently inhabited islands, Arranmore and Tory Island, lie off the coast, Irelands second longest river, the Erne, enters Donegal Bay near the town of Ballyshannon. The River Erne, along with other Donegal waterways, has been dammed to produce hydroelectric power, the River Foyle separates part of County Donegal from parts of both counties Londonderry and Tyrone. A survey of the marine algae of County Donegal was published in 2003

35.
Gaelic Athletic Association county
–
However, the GAA county does not always and everywhere cover precisely the same territory as the traditional county. There are also instances where the county boundary does not coincide precisely with the GAA county. Each county board is responsible for organising GAA club fixtures within the county, and for the promotion and development of Gaelic games, the GAA county can also refer to the inter-county teams fielded by each county board. Since the inception of the county system, there have been changes to the regions of control of the overseas units. In Ireland the concept of the county is very strong and changing the county boundary is extremely controversial, in 2002 a proposal to divide Dublin in two was quickly and strongly opposed. Gaelic Athletic Association counties outside Ireland cover large geographic areas which are not considered as counties in any other context. For example, Scotland is a county for GAA purposes, as is London, Gaelic games county colours List of GAA county nicknames

36.
Ulster GAA
–
The Ulster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in Armagh City, the first Ulster GAA Convention was held on 22 March 1903 in Armagh. Belfast solicitor George Martin was elected as first President with L. F. O’Kane as first Secretary, victor O’Nolan, the father of writer Flann OBrien was elected Vice-President. Danny Murphy has been Ulster Council Secretary and Chief Executive Office since 1998, Danny is a former Vice President of the GAA and President of Ulster GAA. On 4 July 2012 Danny was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Services to Sport, notes, Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers. As of 15 June 2008 according to the Sunday Tribune, notes, Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers

37.
Ulster Senior Football Championship
–
The Ulster Senior Football Championship is a GAA inter-county competition for gaelic football teams within the Irish province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council and begins in early May, the final is usually played on the third Sunday in July. It is regarded as hardest to win of the four football championships. Cavan are the most successful team in Ulster Championship history, having won the competition on 37 occasions, fermanagh remain the only team not to have won an Ulster title. The Ulster Senior Football Championship celebrated its 125th year in 2013, for many decades, winning the Ulster Senior Football Championship was considered as much as a team from Ulster could hope for, as the other provinces were usually much stronger and more competitive. Before 1990, only Cavan in 1933,1935,1947,1948 and 1952, in the 1990s however, a significant sea change took place, as the Ulster Champions won the All-Ireland in four consecutive years from 1991–1994. Since then Ulster has produced more All-Ireland winning teams than any other province, currently the Ulster Senior Football Championship is considered one of the toughest provinces to compete in. The Ulster football final is played on the third Sunday in July, usually at St. Tiernachs Park in Clones. From 2004 until 2006, it was staged at Croke Park in Dublin, the 2007 final—contested by Monaghan and Tyrone—marked a return to Clones, with Tyrone emerging victorious. In the 2000s, Armagh were a dominant force in Ulster, Donegal won consecutive Ulster titles from the preliminary round in 2011 and 2012 and added the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 2012. The Ulster championship is contested by the nine counties in the Irish province of Ulster. Ulster comprises the six counties of Northern Ireland as well as Cavan, Donegal, the Ulster Senior Football Championship is a straight knock-out competition. All beaten teams compete in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship qualifiers, the Ulster Senior Football Championship winner enters the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship at the quarter-final stage. The two semi-final winners competed in the All-Ireland Senior Football Final, below is a record of each countys performance since the introduction of the qualifier system to the All-Ireland Series in 2001. Key A golden background denotes years the Ulster Champions won the All-Ireland as well, Cavan played in Leinster Senior Football Championship in 1895. As of 3 June 2008 according to the BBC, updated list Notes, Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers. As of 15 June 2008, according to the Sunday Tribune, Notes, Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers. Since the records have been done Brendan Coulter has become the top scorer with 18

38.
St Tiernach's Park
–
St. Tiarnachs Park is the principal GAA stadium in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland. The covered stand on one side of the ground is the Gerry Arthurs Stand and it is named after Gerry Arthurs who was treasurer of the Ulster Council for 42 years. In 2009, Arthurs was named in the Sunday Tribunes list of the 125 Most Influential People In GAA History, on the other side of the ground is the Pat McGrane Stand, with The Hill behind it. The grounds are named after Saint Tiarnach, who founded Clones as a settlement c. The Ulster Final was held at Clones from 1944 until 2004, before this, between 2004 and 2006, due to increased capacity, the Ulster Final was played at Croke Park in Dublin. The Ulster Final has been held in Clones every year since then, List of Gaelic Athletic Association stadiums List of stadiums in Ireland

39.
Dublin
–
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Dublin is in the province of Leinster on Irelands east coast, the city has an urban area population of 1,345,402. The population of the Greater Dublin Area, as of 2016, was 1,904,806 people, founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Irelands principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800, following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland. Dublin is administered by a City Council, the city is listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a global city, with a ranking of Alpha-, which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world. It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy, the name Dublin comes from the Irish word Dubhlinn, early Classical Irish Dubhlind/Duibhlind, dubh /d̪uβ/, alt. /d̪uw/, alt /d̪u, / meaning black, dark, and lind /lʲiɲ pool and this tidal pool was located where the River Poddle entered the Liffey, on the site of the castle gardens at the rear of Dublin Castle. In Modern Irish the name is Duibhlinn, and Irish rhymes from Dublin County show that in Dublin Leinster Irish it was pronounced Duílinn /d̪ˠi, other localities in Ireland also bear the name Duibhlinn, variously anglicized as Devlin, Divlin and Difflin. Historically, scribes using the Gaelic script wrote bh with a dot over the b and those without knowledge of Irish omitted the dot, spelling the name as Dublin. Variations on the name are found in traditionally Irish-speaking areas of Scotland, such as An Linne Dhubh. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. Baile Átha Cliath, meaning town of the ford, is the common name for the city in modern Irish. Áth Cliath is a name referring to a fording point of the River Liffey near Father Mathew Bridge. Baile Átha Cliath was an early Christian monastery, believed to have been in the area of Aungier Street, there are other towns of the same name, such as Àth Cliath in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which is Anglicised as Hurlford. Although the area of Dublin Bay has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times and he called the settlement Eblana polis. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. The subsequent Scandinavian settlement centred on the River Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey in an area now known as Wood Quay, the Dubhlinn was a small lake used to moor ships, the Poddle connected the lake with the Liffey. This lake was covered during the early 18th century as the city grew, the Dubhlinn lay where the Castle Garden is now located, opposite the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle

40.
Pitch (sports field)
–
A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term pitch is most commonly used in British English, while the term in American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field. In most sports the official term is field of play, although this is not regularly used by those outside refereeing/umpiring circles. The surface of a pitch is most commonly composed of sod, in the sport of cricket, the cricket pitch refers not to the entire field of play, but to the section of the field on which batting and bowling take place in the centre of the field. The pitch is prepared differently from the rest of the field, a pitch is often a regulation space, as in an association football pitch. The term level playing field is used metaphorically to mean fairness in non-sporting human activities such as business where there are notional winners and losers. Game court Grassfield High School in Virginia, United States, often referred to as Grassfield or Grass field Rules and dimensions

The Bridge of Tears (Droichead na nDeor in Irish) in West Donegal, Ireland. Family and friends of emigrants would accompany them as far as the bridge before saying goodbye, while the emigrants would continue on to Derry Port.

A plaque commemorating The Bridge of Tears, which reads, "Fad leis seo a thagadh cairde agus lucht gaoil an té a bhí ag imeacht chun na coigrithe. B'anseo an scaradh. Seo Droichead na nDeor" (Family and friends of the person leaving for foreign lands would come this far. Here was the separation. This is the Bridge of Tears).

The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional competition in the sport of Australian rules …

In 1924, Footscray, the premiers of the VFA, defeated Essendon, the VFL premiers, in the Championship of Victoria. The result played a large part in Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne gaining entry into the VFL the following year.

Advertisement for the Gaelic League in the Gaelic Journal, June 1894. The English text reads "This Association has been founded solely to keep the Irish Language spoken in Ireland. If you wish the Irish Language to live on the lips of Irishmen, help this effort according to your ability!"